All Sold Out of 'Buy-in'
Peter de Jager is a provocative Speaker, Writer and Consultant. His primary focus in on how we manage change, technology and the future.
In addition to speaking at conferences worldwide, he also writes monthly columns for CIO Magazine and Computerworld Canada.
His goal is always to question what we think is so, and in so doing perhaps open up new opportunities.
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When we contemplate Change and use the phrase "Buy-in" … then we're already halfway down the wrong path. The term "buy-in" indicates we're not thinking about visioning and leadership, we're thinking as obsessed problem solvers and we're determined to implement our solution, even if the target audience doesn't believe there was a problem in the first place.
In a good western, the above blunt statement of opinion would be called "fighting" words. The term "buy-in" is sacrosanct. It is as much a part of modern Change Management thinking as apples are a part of strudel. To attack "Buy-in" as a useful concept is to attack the flag, mix single malt scotch with coke, and wear blue jeans to the Opera. The suggestion that the key prevailing Change Management strategy is faulty is liable to get one hung. Be advised, my neck size is 18 ½, if you're going to hang me, you might as well do a good job of it.
Where does the myth of "Buy-in" come from? As usual, bad
thinking springs from bad thinking. There's another myth in Change
Management circles that people don't like Change. That people, employees in particular, resist it at every opportunity. In a time when Change is the norm, and accelerating daily, this false belief presents some serious problems.
The #1 problem posed by the "people resist Change" philosophy is that all Change must, by its nature, travel with a companion called "Resistance". The very notion that great Change can happen without a loud wailing and gnashing of teeth is considered an opium induced pipe dream.
Therefore... since people resist Change, "we" must foist
complete solutions on "them"... ie. get them to
"Buy-in", because there is no way "they" will
willingly create their own Change.
Change assaults us from all directions; from new systems to mergers and acquisitions; from relocations to promotions and layoffs; and of course those Kafka-like twists and turns in regulatory rules. The first step towards managing this chaos is to discard all the old myths.
People do not, contrary to prevailing wisdom, "Resist Change"; they seek it out at every opportunity. The proof of this outrageous statement is all around us, and is even found in our own personal history. We learn new languages, move from one place to another, and seek out more challenging positions. We even get married, the largest personal Change we can enter into, mostly by choice. We love Change, but we certainly hate being Changed. We hate not being in control of what happens to us. We hate being asked to "buy-into" something we had no part in creating. We hate what we don't understand. We will resist solutions to problems we don't believe exist.
The moment we think "buy-in", it means we've already created in our own minds the solution we'd like to implement. Our challenge is to now "sell" this solution to the target audience. Naturally we then encounter resistance… this in turn
reinforces the myth that people resist Change.
There is no doubt that problem solvers, be they management or technologists, see the need for Change sooner than everyone else. In a sense, that's why we're promoted to positions of power and influence. We have the proven ability to see the big picture and the foresight necessary to take action before sticky situations slide into crisis.
How we then chose to transform that knowledge into action distinguishes leaders from those we would label as merely "good" managers.
The "key" ("Secret", if you prefer the idea that
the best solutions are rare and therefore more valuable) to successfully implementing almost any Change is to guide those who must Change, through the same thought processes as those who first discovered the need for the Change. Fortunately, this is isn't as difficult as it sounds, although it does take more time than merely saying "Do it!" and expecting to be obeyed.
Change is necessitated by the conflict of two components, the existing Status Quo and an event which threatens the viability of the Status Quo remaining as the proper course of future action. The event is called the 'Foreign Element', and the decision process that forces us to the conclusion that Change is necessary is the "Threat response decision".
The Status Quo is usually, not always, well known to everyone in the organization. The Foreign Element that threatens it, whether it is rising costs, competition, evolving constraints or a possible future opportunity, is the thing that usually requires some detailed explanation.
Once The Foreign Element is understood, then the subsequent steps are almost too simplistic too mention. Ask the question "If we do nothing, given the impact of this Foreign Element, where will we end up in the future?" If Change is really necessary, then the answer to the follow up question, "Do we want to be there?", is pre-determined.
If the answer is "No", and if Change is really necessary it will be, then the final questions are, "Where do you want to be instead?" and "What must we do to get there?"
Note... at this point we're not asking for agreement on a 'solution', we're going all the way back to first base and asking, "Do we all agree that there is a problem that requires fixing?" If we can get consensus on that question, then getting consensus on a solution is going to be much easier. "Easier"... not necessarily "easy".
Neither "Buy-in" nor "Resistance" enters this discussion, and yet Change occurs. Isn't it strange what happens when Myths are removed from the picture? Especially the grand myth, that managers (or technologists) must be the ones to devise solutions and sell them to (read: foist them onto) unsuspecting, and usually, uninterested (with good reason) customers.
© 2005,
Peter de Jager – Peter is passionate about change, how it affects both
individuals and organizations and allows them to grow and prosper. To contact him, and
host internal seminars on Change Management visit www.technobility.com
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